Hello,

My '01 LX has 29K miles on it... I am the original owner, having purchased
it in June 2001.

I took a look at the front pads and was pleasantly surprised at the lack of
wear. It looks as if the groove is still about 3/16" deep. The pads on
both front wheels are wearing evenly.

My question: when should I take another look at these? It's a pretty easy
job to replace disk pads, at least on other vehicles. Can anyone chime in
with any "gotchas" with regard to changing brakes yourself on the Odyssey?
Is there a brand of replacement brake pad I should absolutely avoid? (I
bought a box of the house brand from AutoZone - but cannot recall the name
right now - should I return them and get my money back?)

Also, once I had the wheels off, I had a good look at the CV joints and
decided it would be prudent to wash the rubber boots, to remove any
grime/grease that may have settled there, since this is what causes them to
crack open later and fail. I took the Odyssey to a nearby carwash and, with
the front wheels turned in one direction to their maximum, stuck the wash
wand in and sprayed that yellowish engine degreaser on them, on the front
suspension parts and into the wheel wells. I did all four wheels. Then I
did the high pressure rinse. Does anyone know if this is actually prudent
or am I possibly washing away something more important, like grease from
certain fittings?

Thanks!

Bill